We’ve all heard Shakespeare’s phrase, “To thine own self be true” but what does it actually mean to be true to yourself?
Most of us would answer that being true to oneself is a matter of being honest with yourself but it goes a bit further than that in practice.
How can you tell if a person is serious about his or her principles?
The simplest way is found in observing whether those principles are a matter of declared belief or of action.
It’s not enough to have solid beliefs and convictions. We have to be willing to act on those beliefs or you’ll never have enough faith in yourself to hold to those beliefs in the face of opposition.
Too many people want to have a perfect plan in place before acting on their beliefs. Or they wait for permission or for someone else to show them the way.
But there’s no substitute for the kind of faith in yourself that comes from finding the courage to start acting on your own.
Paul Rosenberg puts it this way:
“Once you begin acting – really acting – on what you see as true, you’ll start developing faith in yourself… deep faith. And you’ll never get it any other way.”
This doesn’t mean you’ll never change your opinion or learn anything new.
It means that you will know—with certainty—that you are honest to your core, in word and deed.
It’s the pathway to making the difference you were born to make.
Learning To Trust Yourself